:
<b>42 </b>
55 vouchers
Emery kept her hands on the wheel, her gaze fixed ahead. The road stretched quietly in front of her, a reliefpared to everything she had left behind at the estate. She didn’t really have a destination in mind at first. She just needed to get out. Get some air. Let her body settle.
Last night had been too much. The confrontation, the things she said, the things he didn’t say. Logan hadn’te to bed. She noticed it the moment she walked in. And honestly, that was what she preferred.
Her eyes flicked to the side mirror.
There they were. Two cars. Same distance. Same tinted windows. Logan’s people. She wasn’t surprised. She figured he’d assign guards the moment she walked out. For her safety, probably. Or to keep an eye on her. Or both.
She didn’t care.
By the time she reached the city, her hands had unclenched from the wheel. She pulled into a quiet cafe on a side street, sat near a window, and ordered hot tea. No one disturbed her. The quiet settled into her skin. It wasn’t much, but it helped.
After a while, she pulled out her tablet and reviewed several potential spaces for herpany. She had three appointments lined up and decided to check out each one. They were all in different parts of the city, but she didn’t mind the driving. It gave her something to focus on.
Later, she stopped by a few shops. Picked up some clothes. Walked through the baby aisle longer than she expected. It felt strange, looking at little onesies and nkets, but she didn’t back away. Not this time.
By the time she loaded her bags into the back of the car, it was already past eight.
Emery stood by the driver’s side, hand on the door, and hesitated. She could check into a hotel. No one would stop her. She had money. Privacy. But something tugged at her. Something she didn’t want to name.
Logan.
That same part of her that snappedst night–the part that got angry, irrationally so–was now urging her to go back. To say something. Or hear something.
She didn’t know which.
With a sigh, she got in and started the engine. The drive back was quiet. Still, the cars followed. She didn’t bother checking this time.
That was until a car suddenly swerved in front of her. Emery blinked and tightened her grip on the wheel. The vehicle hadn’te from herne. It had just cut in. Abruptly. Like it didn’t see her or didn’t care. It veered slightly, jerked, then straightened out again.
She frowned.
Drunk. Or high. The way the car moved–jerky, unpredictable–made her stomach twist. She tapped the brakes and slowed down, trying to create some distance.
<b>12:36 </b>Thu, Sep 11 B
:
<b>42 </b>
55 vouchers
That’s when she noticed another car behind her, headlights shing. Too persistent. It wasn’t one of Logan’s cars. She checked her side mirror again.
Her expression shifted immediately.
“What the hell…?”
She cursed under her breath and took the next exit. The front car slowed too, almost blocking her path. Emery’s jaw clenched. She eased the car to a stop on the shoulder.
This wasn’t normal. She had no idea what the hell this was. But she wasn’t about to get into an ident. Not pregnant. Not alone. And not when she should have security.
She parked, put the car in neutral, and turned slightly to check the rear. The shing car slowed, then stopped a few feet behind her. The other one in front also stopped. The doors didn’t open at first. But then the driver of the rear car stepped out.
A man. Burly. Late thirties or early forties. No uniform. No visible badge.
He walked toward her.
Emery’s hand went for her phone. She opened the dial pad and tapped 911. She didn’t press the call button. Not yet. But her thumb hovered.
The man knocked on her window. Not hard. But enough.
She debated.
Then cracked it open, barely an inch. “What do you want?”
The man grinned. “You already know what I want.”
Her face hardened.
“I’m sorry,” she said evenly. “If there’s been some misunderstanding, I’d like you to go back to your car. I don’t want this to escte.”
The man tilted his head slightly, his smile still there.
Emery kept her thumb near the call button. Her eyes darted around. Still no one from Logan’s team. No backup. She scanned the area–just the two cars.
Her heart pounded. If this was some kind of stunt, it wasn’t funny.
If it was more than that… she was screwed.
Where the hell were the guards?
The manughed. It wasn’t loud, but sharp and mocking. Emery stiffened, hand still hovering over the emergency dial. She braced herself for more.
But he didn’t say anything else.
He just turned and walked back to his car.
:
<b>42 </b>
55 vouchers
Emery stared, unsure what to make of it. Slowly, she rolled the window back up. Her breath escaped in a shaky exhale. She hadn’t realized just how tense she’d been until that moment.
The man got into his car.
Then his headlights shed twice.
Her stomach dropped.
Emery’s eyes darted to the rearview mirror, then the car in front. Her finger pressed down on the 911 button.
Before it could even connect, a loud boom echoed behind her.
Her car jolted forward violently. Her body mmed into the seatbelt, her head snapping forward, then back. The seatbelt cut across her chest. The airbag exploded, forcing her back into the seat. A second impact followed as the front of her car mmed into the car in front.
She was trapped. Her vision blurred.
Her head throbbed. Something warm slid down from her temple.
The car groaned around her. ss cracked. Her hands trembled as she tried to move. She was stuck in the
seat.
Then the driver’s door creaked open.
A shadow leaned in.
“You didn’t have to be <i>so </i>harsh,” someone said.
Another figure appeared behind the first. “She’s human. I just needed her to faint, not dead.”
Emery tried to move again. Her hand twitched. Her lips parted to speak, but the darkness crept in.
Everything spun.
Then it all went ck.